Speed-indicator for automobiles.



APPLICATION FILED APRJM, 1911.

it. tal 1.

n o T N E V N Patented Mar. 24, 19M

WITNESSES CHARLES GO RE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SPEED-INDICATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed April 24, 1911. Serial N 0. 622,926. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. '24, 1914..

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES GORE, a subjectof the King of Great Britain, residlng at San Francisco, in the countyof San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Speed-Indicators for Automobiles, of whlch the followingis a specification." I

The object of the present inventlon is to provide an apparatus to beplaced on auto-- mobiles for furnishing a signal visible at aconsiderable distance of the fact that the speed of the automobile hasexceeded a predetermined limit.

Cities almost universally have enacted ordinances requiring thatautomobiles passing therethrough should not'exceed a certain limit ofspeed; but it is very'ditficult to enforce such ordinances, principallyon account of-the difficulty of proving'that the prescribed limit hasbeen exceeded. Occasionally also automobile drivers complained ofarrests for exceeding the speed limlt, when in fact such limit has notbeen exceeded.

The object of the present invention'is to provide a signal, easilyvisible both by day time and at night, which is set when the speed limithas been exceeded, and remains set until the automobile is stopped andthe device restored to normal condition.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side view of an automobileequipped with my improved apparatus; Fig. 2 is an enlarged verticalsectional view of the apparatus; Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section thereof on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of amodified form of a portion of said apparatus. 7

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates an automobile. At either endthereof may be supported the device 2, which forms the subject of myinvention. In the present instance' it is shown at the front end, andcomprises a lower casing 3, which is approximately hemispherical inform, at the vertical axis of which is rotatably mounted a tube 4,slotted, as shown at 5, in the lower portion, its lower end beingsecured, outside the casing 3, to a bevel wheel 6 meshing with a bevelwheel 7 on a shaft 8 extending beneath the body of. the car, andoperatively connected as shown at 9, with the rear axle of saidautomobile. By the movement of the machine, said tube 4 is given arotary motion dependent upon the speed of the machine. as shown at 10,arms 11, having at their free ends weights 12 which arms are pivotallyconnected, as shown at 13, to links 14, which a re said slots 5 in thetube 4, and extending from a collar 16 secured within the tube 4 andengaging a collar secured to the end of a rod 17 passing centrallyupward through said tube. By the movement of the vehicle said weightsare given a rotary movement and by said rotary movement are caused torise and raise the rod 17. The upper end of said, rod is secured to anextension 21 at the lower end of a vertical slide rod 22 which has slots23 moving on fixed pins 24. Said slide rod is formed on one side with arack 25 which engages-a pinion 26 ona sleeve 27 around a shaft 28 havingbearings 29 in the sides of an upper casing 30. Said sleeve 27 carriesan arm 32 adapted to engage a pin 38 upon a wheel 34 secured to saidshaft 28. Said wheel 34 comprises sectors 36 formed respectively ofcolorless glass and glass of different colors, as green, blue and red.Only a portion of one of these sectors is visible from a distance, theremaining sectors and the'remainder of the first named sector beinghidden by a wall 37. Behind the visible Upon said tube are pivoted,

sector the upper casing 30 has an extension 1 38 in which is a lamp 39and reflector 40 adapted to reflect the light of the lamp through saidvisible sector.

When the machine is at rest said slide rod is in its lowest position andthe colorless sector is in the visible position. When the machine is setin motion, the slide rod tends to rise. Its upward movement is, however,restrained by a spring latch 42, which, in the position of rest, entersthe first of a series of recesses 43 formed in the periphery of thewheel, and offers resistance to the upward pressure of the rod 17. When,on account of the increased velocity of the machine, the pressure of therod 17 overcomes the resistance of said latch and presses said latch outof said recess, then the Wheel moves quickly around under the pressureto bring another sector into visible position, showing at night time acolored light and in the day time glass of a similar color. If thevelocity of the machine still further increases, the pressure of the rod17 again increases, until it is sufiicient to overcome the resistance ofthe latch to cause the wheel to rotate through a sufli- I cient arc tobring the next sector into visible I being wholly propulsive,

position.

It will be seen that, by the engagement of the two members, the arm 32and the pin 33,

and never retractive, the signal thus actuated will not be withdrawn bythe mere decrease of the speed of the vehicle, as the latch Will holdthe wheel in the farthest advanced position to which it has beenrotated, and such decrease in speed will have the effect only ofwithdrawing the arm 32 from the pin 33.- The signal can only be reset tozero position by hand, by turning the shaft 34 by means of a knob 44 onthe end of said shaft.

I also provide means for actuating a signal which is visible at a greatdistance, which may or may not be used inconjunction with the aforesaidsignal. For this purpose there are provided guides for a rocket 51,which is ignited by an electric spark in a circuit 52, containing abattery 53, and comprising a wire 5a connected to the casing of theapparatus, and a wire connected to a contact 56 adjacent to theperiphery of the wheel and insulated from the casing. A second contact57 is carried on the wheel and when the two contacts are broughttogether, as by an excessive speed of the machine, the

circuit is closed across the spark gap so that on the circuit beingbroken across said gap, a spark is generated causing the rocket to beignited. This latter device is intended particularly -for winding andmountainous roads.

In the modification shown in Fig. i, the casing is formed on both sideswith an aperture 6O opposite to the lamp, so that the light can be seeneither in front or behind.

I claim In combination with a centrifugal governor, a device movablelongitudinally with a change of speed in said governor, a disk havingvariously colored sectors, a lamp behind the disk arranged to shinethrough one of said sectors, spring-actuated means arranged to engage inturn each sector as the disk is rotated, members movable with the deviceand disk, the member movable With the device having an engagement whollypropulsive with the member movable with the disk.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence oftwo'subscrlbing witnesses.

CHARLES GORE.

Witnesses FRANCIS M. WRIGHT, N. B. KEATING.

